I thought I was being progressive in my classroom when it came to the use of technology, however this class offered me glimpses into new areas of technology I had not imagined to enter. I now am using blogs and wikis with my students as well as looking into podcasts as a means to post notes and other needed information. Most importantly this class has given me sites and suggestions to stay abreast of technological advancements and information pertaining to my profession. In the article No Limits, Terri Tomlinson, principal of George Hall elementary states that "It's about whole new ways to work and think and learn, to conduct your business and your life..." (Nussbaum-Beach, 2008) We see technology in every aspect of our personal and social lives, it is imperative to manipulate these technologies in order to influence the learning capabilities of our students.
"More and more of our world’s countries are crossing the threshold into
the Knowledge Age – where “brain-power” replaces “brawn-power” and
“hertz-power” replaces “horse-power”. Many believe that this shift to
knowledge-based societies is as historic and as challenging as the shift
from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age" (Trilling, 2005).
We are witnessing a shift not only in the world's infrastructure but also in how people interact and communicate. We are seeing information more easily accessible for the masses; a shift not witnessed since the invention of the printing press. This shift is changing the role and the responsibilities of the teacher; teachers' are now portraying more of a facilitator role. this change is making the classroom more student-centered.
To stay ahead of educational changes due to technology, teachers need to continue their education and training in new technologies and their use. Administrators and political officials need to be open-minded and listen to their teachers about the changes taking place, unfortunately this does not always happen. Two goals I have to transform my classroom environment is to develop an online based curriculum that may be used during summer school and eventually in the regular school year. In order to accomplish this I need to be part of the technology committee and write a proposal for the board's approval. I already have the approval of my principal and am now working on the president. Eventually I envision online courses being the means to expand our overall curriculum. Another long-term goal is to connect my classroom with others in different countries. The world is getting smaller and it is imperative that students begin to not only experience its decreased size but also HOW to communicate with other cultures. Currently our school technology and possibly schedule limits this vision.

Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2008, February 15). Tech & Learning. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8466

Trilling, B. (2005). Toward learning societies and the global challenges for learning-with-ICT. Retrieved April 6, 2009 from http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/ny05/Toward_Learning_Societies.pdf

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a website that is challenging education policies and infrastructure. What I found particularly reassuring was the article Learning Environments Must Break Through the Silos that Separate Learning from the Real World, the article discusses the urgency of schools breaking from the traditional form of education to one that supports the technological advances seen in the real world. However, the article states that we also must be sensitive to the human interaction that takes place within education. Paige Kuni, worldwide manager of K-12 education for Intel Corporation and chair of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills states, “Learning supports are only valuable if they effectively reinforce human relationships, give relevance to learning and encourage student engagement. Schools must devote themselves to more than the mind-body connection to ensure student achievement" ("Learning Environments Must Break Through the Silos that Separate Learning from the Real World", 2009). As I have said in previous posts technology is a great tool and must be used as such. A tool. There must be discretion and moderation with all that we use and do. When we begin to negate the person as a whole we are no longer educators but simply technicians.

The website is progressive and addresses so many issues, concerns, and ideas that it must be viewed in order to be appreciated. It is up to date and discusses the most recent areas of education-- from legislation to civic literacy.

Learning Environments Must Break Through the Silos that Separate
Learning from the Real World. (2009, January 23). Partnership for 21st
Century Skills. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

I think a blog can actually be a useful activity for foreign language. A friend and former colleague has moved to Peru to further her education and to improve her langauge skills. We are in communication via facebook of all things-- just goes to show how technology is changing communication and networking. We are collaborating on creating a blog for my students and the students with whom she is working in Peru. Ideally the blog would be a quasi-penpal type of activity. The difficulties are ensuring all students have equal access to technology in order to participate in the assignment and how to monitor cheating. I want to encourage students to experiment with the language so in my rubric I have allowed some flexibility for grammar and spelling. This is very difficult for me since these are focal points to any language.

Technology is certainly changing the face of education. Incredibly it seems like just yesterday I was using an overhead projector to display notes and activities, but it's actually been about eight years since I actually had any need for an overhead. Reportcards are no longer mailed home but instead grades are posted to our website. Parents no longer call to schedule a conference but now email you or schedule via the website calendar. I am an advocate of technology I think it has made my job much easier in many respects but there is an underbelly to technology within the classroom that has also complicated and in fact foiled many a lesson plan. I think technology should be used with discretion. There is something to be said about doing things the old-fashioned way.

I have found the start of the class particularly frustrating. It seems activities and deadlines are scattered throughout the class. Making it nerve-wracking to complete all the tasks. I am really having trouble finding a decent blog in which to subscribe for this weeks application. I teach Spanish so if anyone out there knows of a good blog please let me know.